Wire spring for cushioned seats of upholstered furniture



April 28, 1942.

WIRE SPRING H. NEELY 2,280,8 40

FOR CUSHIONED :SEATS AND UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE Filed Feb. 14, 1939 INVENTOR. WILL/HM H- NEELY Byfw' 211515? Patented Apr. 28, 1942 WIRE SPRING FOR CUSHIONED SEATS F UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE William HnNeeiy, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor, by

direct and mesne assignments, to John 0. Lincoln, Scottsdale, Ariz Application February 14, 1939, Serial No. 256,277

Claims.

This invention relates in general to springs and spring seat structures for upholstered furniure and more particularly to flat springs of sinuous orsimilar shape such as described in Patent No.'2,047,411. These springs, each of which consist of a substantially straight seating or resting portion, an integral rearwardly and downwardly inclined front supporting arm and an integral coiled portion at the rear end of the seating or resting portion when rigidly attached to a frame, develop under load undesirable stillness in an area near or adjacent to the rear end of the seating or resting portion. This stiffness which is due to excessive bending stresses in such area very materia ly interferes with proper seating and resting comfort on seat structures embodying the described type of springs.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved corrugated wire spring of the type referred to 'above,which embodies means eliminating from the proper seating surface the area of undesirable stiffness'so as to permit of proper seating and resting comfort on seat structures assembled from the wire springs according to the invention.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a spring of the type referred to having a corrugated, substantially straight seating portion supported by rearwardly and downwardly inclined front supporting means and a rearwardly and upwardly inclined rear supporting means,

said supporting means including means for rigidly attaching same to a frame structure.

A further object of the invention is to provide a spring having a corrugated; substantially straight seating portion supported by specific front and rear supporting and attachment means, which spring includes means intermediate its seating portion and the rear supporting and attachment means for effecting a downward offset of the rear end of the seating portion with respect to the rear attachment and supporting between the seating portion and the rear attachment means for efiecting a downward oiisetof the rear end of the said seating portion to avoid upward bulging of therear end of the spring when secured to a frame and when underioad.

In addition, the invention has other marked improvements and superiorities which radically distinguish it from presently known structures. These improvements or superior characteristics embodying certain novel features of construction are clearly set forth in the appended claims, and a preferred embodiment of the invention is hereinafter shown with reference to the accompanying drawing, forming part of the specification.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view through a spring seat structure showing a metal seat frame having corrugated springs made according to the invention securely fastened to the seating portion of the frame.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the elongated springs forming the seat structure shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is adiagrammatical view showing the different shapes of the elongated spring according to theinvention under different loads.

Referring now in detail to the exemplified form of the seat structure shown in'the drawing reference numeral! indicates an open tubular frame structure which is made of tubular piping. and

embodies a front rail 3, a side rail 4 and a back rail-5. Front and rear rails I and 5 support a plurality of elongated, corrugated wire springs B which bridge frame 2 crosswise and are securely attached to said rails in a manner hereinafter to be described.

The-elongated corrugated springs 6 are made of steel wire, bent to sinuous shape, so that their loops I extend substantially parallel to each other'and permit of longitudinal yielding stretching of the springs under load. The frontvend of each spring 6 is formed with an integral, rearwardly and downwardly extended supporting arm I which is loopedat its lower end to provide a spring coil 9, arranged in a plane substantially rectangular to the plane of spring 8. The end of coil -9 extends forward as at II from the bottom of said coil and is then looped preferably in opposite direction with respect to coil 0, to form a second coil II, which lattercoil is downwardly extended from portion ill in a plane also substantially rectangular to the plane of lhe spring. Coil I I has a free straight end portion l2, preferably forwardly and laterally extended from the .top of said coil at an angle to the axis of spring 0 and this portion I2 is doubled back in definite spaced relation with respect to coil II to form a hook-shaped member I adapted to rigidly secure spring 6 to tubular front rail 3, which rail has for such purpose holes I arranged therein, all, as

more clearly brought. out in co-pending application Ser. No. 215,526 "or which applicant'ds coinventor.

upwardly and rearwardly extended lever 'I'I effects a downward offset of the rear end of spring 0, when such spring is secured or attached to the front and back rails 3 and I of frame 2, back rail 5 being provided with holes 2| similar in holes I 5 in front rail 3, thus permitting interlocking engagement of rear attachment means IS with rail 5.

Springs 6, when assembled to a seat structure as customary, are interconnected by an edge wire "and form a continuous seating surface which is preferably covered by a pad and covering indicated in dotted lines at 23. Proper mounting of' springs 8 on. frame 2 is effected by arranging rear rail 5 of frame 2 in an elevated position with a heavier load is carried bythe spring. This position 0 shows practically no curvature in the respect to front rail 3., This construction leaves an open space below said rail and permits of building of a front seat constructionwhich in automobiles with front and back seats provides tion of a spring structure with springs according to the invention when diflerently loaded. The :full line showing a of the spring outline in Fig. 3 is the shape taken by the spring when not loaded. In this shape which shows a slight curve in the seating portion of spring 8, the curvature of the seating portion iseffected by the tension of the spring. Special attention, however, is called to the fact that an upward bulge of spring 6 cannot and does not occur.

The following diagrammatically shown shape and deformation of the spring shown in Fig. 8, the dash-dotted line position c, is effected when resting position of the spring which has been further elongated with a further increase in the tensioning of loops I and which has the coils in rear and front attachment means also further tensioned, so that substantial resistance is built up against downward bulging of the seating por tion. Suchresistance is additionally due to the further flattening of the angle of lever I! with the seating portion of the spring, however, thisangle is still of sufficient size to prevent upward bulging of the spring and thusinsures proper riding comfort on the seat structure. Attention is called to the fact that the dash-dotted line position '0 approximates the general shape of springs supporting a person of average wei ht.

The last diagrammatically shown shape and deformation of the spring shown in Fig. 3, the

dash-dotted line position d, is effected when sudden excessive loads are imposed on the springs.

downward. In addition, the excessive load has.

tensioned the coils of the attachment means, effecting a substantial lengthening of the'seating portion of the spring and, as the seating portion and its loops 1 are under substantial tension, sufficient resistance has been built up in the seating portion to resist further downward movement of the seating'portion under these excessive loads,

. which portion will hereafter give only slightly coil in the rear attachment means l8, which latter is interlocked with rear rail 5 of frame 2. Please note ,thatthe said 'coil is tensioned and therefore effects the slight upward bulge and, in addition, a slight longitudinaltension in loops 1 of spring 6.

The next diagrammatically shown shape and deformation of the spring shown in Fig. 3, the dotted line position b, is effected when a light load is carried by spring 6. It is ,of course to be understood that all the springs of a spring'seat structure areeither interconnected by edge wires and connecting means such asrlisclosed in the above referred to application or are interconnected inany other suitable manner and furthermore are covered by a padding, so that the load" under still heavier loads.

It can now be seen that spring structures embodying springs of the type described offer utmost riding and seating comfort, due to the fact, that their seating surfaces under load do not materially change or form excessive hard areas and thatsuch surfaces possess under adverse conditions sufflcient yielding action in their-front edges to permit of proper support and simultaneously sumcient yield.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is: I r

1. A wire spring for seat structures comprising a horizontally corrugated seating portion, an integral rearwardlyand downwardly extending yielding lever arm extending from the front end of said seating portion, and an integral supporting and attaching means extending from the rear end of said seating portion in upwardly offset relation with respect to the axis of said seating portion.

2. A wire spring for seat structures comprising a horizontally corrugated seating portion, an integral rearwardly and downwardly extending yielding lever arm extending from the front end of said seating portion, an upwardly and rearwardly inclined short lever extending from the rear end of said seating portion and integral attachment means at the free ends of said lever arm and said lever.

3. A wire spring for seat structures comprising a horizontally corrugated seating portion, an integral rearwardly and downwardly extending yielding lever arm extending from the front endof said seating portion, an integral upwardly and rearwardly inclined, slightly s-curved lever extending from the rear end of said seating portion and integral attachment means at the free ends of said lever arm and said lever.

4. A wire spring for seat structures comprising a horizontally corrugated seating portion, an integral rearwardly and downwardly extended yielding lever arm extending from thefront end of said seating portion, an integral coil arranged above the surface of said seating portion and extended from the rear end thereof, integral attachment means at the endv of said lever arm and integral hook-shaped means extending from the end of said coil in angular relation with respect to the axis of the seating portion of said spring.

5. A wire spring for seat structures comprising ahorizontally corrugated seating portion, an integral rearwardly and downwardly extended yielding V-shaped lever arm extending from the front end of said seating portion, and integral hook-shaped attachment means including a coiled portion and extending from the rear end of said seating portion in upwardly ofl'set relation with respect to'the axis of said seating portion.

6. As an article of manufacture and sale a cushioned seat for automobiles comprising a frame and a plurality of springs bridging said frame and, rigidly secured thereto crosswise thereof, each of said springs embodying a'horizontally corrugated seating portion, an integral rearwardly and downwardly extended yielding lever armextending from one end of said seating portion, a coil integrally extended from the other end of said seating portion and arranged in a plane above the surface of said seating portion rearwardly thereof and attachment means on the free end of said lever arm and said coil, the upward and rearward arrangement of said cofl preventing undesired stiiT areas being upwardly extended near said other end of said seating portion when said spring is under load.

7. An article of manufacture and sale as described in claim fi, wherein said attachment means are angularly related to each other so that a torsion is applied'to the lever arm and coil in a direction to eifect stretching and bulging the seating portion of the springs to provide suflicient initial resistance in said seating portions against downward bulging under load.

8. A wire spring for seat structures comprising a corrugated, axially yielding continuous seating portion, supporting means integrally and freely extending downwardly and rearwardly from one end of said corrugated seating portion. attachment means integrally extended from said supporting means, supporting means integrally and freely extending upwardly from the other end of said corrugated seating portion, and attachment means integrally extended from said lastsupporting means.

9. A wire spring for seat structures comprising a corrugated seating portion, downwardly and rearwardly extended integral lever means at the front end of said seating portion, integral means on said lever means for rigidly securing same to a frame, and integral yielding means for supporting the rear end of said seating portion, said last means including attachment means for rigidly securing said rear end to such frame, and means integrally extended from said seating portion in upwardly directed relationship with respect thereto forming an upwardly curved bend between said seating portion and its rear supporting means, said bend counteracting upward bulging of said seating portion adjacent to said bend when said spring is secured to a frame and said seating portion is moved downwardly by a load placed thereon.

' 10. As an article of manufacture and sale a cushioned seat for automobiles comprising a frame and a plurality of springs bridging said frame and rigidly secured thereto crosswise thereof, each of said springs embodying a horizontally corrugated, axially yielding seating portion, an integral rearwardly and downwardly extended yielding lever arm extending from one end of said seating portion, an integral upwardly and rearwardly inclined short lever extending from the other end of said seatingportion, and attachment means integrally extended from the free ends of said levers, the upward and rearward arrangement of said short lever preventing undesired stifi areas being upwardly extended near said other end of said seating portion when a load is placed on the spring.

WILLIAM H. NEELY. 

